The SS Anne Adventure
by milkmoth
Summary: Red, Blue, and Green have all been sent tickets to the S.S. Anne's exclusive tenth anniversary bash. Little do they know it's all a scheme to get revenge... INCOMPLETE.
1. The SS Anne

_**The S.S. Anne**_

* * *

The S.S. Anne was the most popular spot for a party. Wealthy people would spend insane amounts of cash to get a ticket to one of them. These events were the talk of socialites in every region - Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Orre... 

The accommodations were as luxurious as the most renowned five-star hotels. The S.S. Anne was utterly, indisputably perfect, down to the most menail detail.

Red couldn't wait to get onboard.

He checked his ticket one more time, a grin on his face. Being the Pokemon League Champion brought many rewards, but this might have been one of the best. Normally, Red wouldn't have been able to afford one of the tickets on the S.S. Anne. Champion he was; money-savvy he was not. Thankfully, his ticket had been sent to him for free. Along with a letter, printed on stiff, formal paper.

the flowing script had read:

We are pleased to present this free ticket to the S.S. Anne's exclusive Tenth Anniversary Celebration. We hope that, as the Pokemon League Champion, you will grace us with your presence on the 17th of this month. You will be situated in Room #34.

Sincerely, Your Friends at the S.S. Anne

Scanning the letter again, Red wondered what it would be like to go to such a party. When he'd gotten the letter he'd been overjoyed. He liked luxury just as much as anyone, and it would be a great vacation from his normal routine of battling.

If only his friends could be here with him.

* * *

The S.S. Anne was about to depart. There was only one hour until the ship would sail off for its anticipated two-week cruise. 

Blue had done this sort of thing before. He'd been on cruises with his parents, after all. But this was the first time he was traveling alone. Certainly, at sixteen, he was old enough to do so.

Well, he was almost alone. Professor Oak, thinking that such an outing with his grandson would be rather enjoyable, had managed to snag a high-priced ticket. They would be in different rooms, but it could hardly be considered traveling alone when your grandfather would be breathing down your neck the whole time.

Blue, recalling how much his grandfather had paid, was thankful his own ticket had been free. After all, there were many other (more practical) things he could spend his money on. To be quite honest, he thought it was (as the saying went) too good to be true. It was a suspicious setup. The S.S. Anne _did_ give out free tickets from time to time, but usually not to teenagers. Usually to distinguished, rich adults. _But, _Blue reasoned, _it's possible that there simply aren't very many teenaged gym leaders. _Blue was lost in thought when someone bumped into him – hard.

"'Scuse me!" chirped a familiar voice.

Blue glared but immediately softened - and sighed with exasperation - when he saw who it was.

"Green!" he said, noticing that the girl was holding something behind her back.

Green smiled back, a bit sheepishly. "Oh, it's you." She handed back what she'd been hiding behind her back - his wallet.

"I thought you stopped stealing," Blue deadpanned. He was a little surprised she'd gone back to thievery.

"I did!" Green pouted, "But the endorsements only last so long. I don't have my own gym, and I'm not Champion!" she pulled a ticket from her pocket. "But I guess being third runner up in the pokemon league _does_ have its benefits." She winked.

Blue grinned. "So that's what you're doing here. You got a free ticket, too." He looked around. "Then Red should be here. I mean, they wouldn't invite you if they weren't inviting Red," he sneered, thought it was obviously meant more as a tease than a jeer.

Green chose to ignore him, and instead looked through the crowd for Red. "There he is!" she exclaimed, running off to greet him. Blue was about to do so as well when he heard his grandfather.

"Blue! _Blue!" _Professor Oak shouted as he waved frantically,, trying to get Blue's attention.

He sighed again. Now everyone in the airport would know that the famed Professor Oak and his grandson, the Pokemon League runner-up and Viridian Gym leader, were boarding the S.S. Anne. Unlike Red, Blue wasn't particularly thrilled when hoards of children lined up around him, wide-eyed with admiration, to ask for his autograph.

Apparently, however, the S.S. Anne's passengers weren't amazed by fame – in fact, most of them were probably famous themselves. Blue was almost a little peeved their indifference but then shook it off, deciding that he'd become too egotistical.

* * *

Meanwhile, Red was surveying the ship. It was _huge!_ Suddenly, he felt that someone was watching him. It was an eerie feeling. Though the sun was shining and crowds were chattering around him, he felt a shiver work its way down his spine. He could feel them getting closer… and closer… 

He swung around, letting his Aerodactyl out of its ball for defense.

"_Eee!_"

His eyebrows, which had knotted in his focus, loosened. He laughed - it was only Green. Of course, everyone waiting to board the ship had seen the commotion and was staring at them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked pleasantly, running to close the distance between them. After the initial moment of surprise, he was now curious about her presence.

"I was invited to the party! I got a ticket for free! Did you? So did Blue, in fact, he's over there…" Green rambled on, but Red didn't really hear her. He still had the strange feeling that he was being watched.

* * *

a/n: Since I've been having some trouble with the latest chapter, I've decided to go back and edit everything (because, frankly, I feel like I've gotten a lot better and reading my old fics gives me shivers!) Don't worry, no major points will be edited. Just grammatical errors, wording, things like that to imporve the overall quality. Also, it's to catch any plotlines that I might forget to follow through on. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you'll review. 

DISCLAIMER: (yes, I know it's odd that it comes at the end) Pokemon the game does not belong to me. Neither does the manga that this is based off of. I am writing fanfiction for fun, because I want to play with the material. I own nothing, and respect the people who originally thought up these ideas very much.


	2. Poison

Chapter 2: Poison

a/n: I have read synopses for the Gold/Silver/Crystal series online, so I will include some characters from that series as well. In case anyone hasn't read these, I will provide a short lowdown on the situation at hand, although sometimes you may be able to understand things just by having played the game. Enjoy the chapter! I guess that inspiration struck and whether it was on-hold or not, I had to write! Enjoy!

"Red? Earth to Red…" Green waved her hand in front of Red's face.

"Wha-? Oh, sorry Green," replied Red. He'd zoned out, wondering who was watching him. Was someone watching him? He looked around, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Green watched him. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's nothing…" Red replied. Green knew that something was wrong, but couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to let it slide.

"Come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand, "let's go find Blue!"

They weaved their way through the crowd until they found a very sulky Blue standing next to his grandfather.

"Professsor Oak!" Red said, grinning at Blue's expression.

"Red! Green!" Professor Oak replied, smiling widely, "here you are! Blue told me you were here, but I'm afraid I couldn't believe him until I saw you with my own eyes!" he chuckled, and they forced out smiles.

Instead of listening to Oak's rambling some more, Red said hastily, "Hey, uh, what rooms do you guys have? I'm in room 34!"

Green and Blue both gave him a surprised look.

"Room 32," Blue said.

"Mine is room 36," Green added.

"Wow," Professor Oak said, "you're rooms are all right next to one another!"

Blue glared at him some more for stating the blatantly obvious. What was this, an anime? With some weirdo named 'Ash'? He almost laughed at the thought.

A less obvious thought came to him… what if someone had planned it that way? What if this was some kind of trick? He'd been suspicious when he'd first gotten the ticket, and now… He'd have to tell the others at dinner.

"My room is room 27," Oak continued, not noticing Blue's glare, "I tried to get a room as close to Blue as I could, but most were already taken." Blue rolled his eyes.

Green, noticing Blue's discomfort, smiled devilishly and gushed, "Oh, Professor, Blue is _absolutely thrilled_ that you're here for him!" Blue glared at her as well.

A bell rang shrilly. All four of them looked up at the ship. The captain was an old man and a cutting master who'd been working on the S.S. Anne since it had been taken over from Team Rocket. He came out onto the deck of the ship. There was silence.

"Passengers! I am pleased to welcome you all to the S.S. Anne's tenth anniversary cruise!" There was applause from every direction. "Please board the boat now! We will set sail in a half hour!"

There was a stampede to get onto the boat. Professor Oak turned and looked at the Pokedex holders.

"I'll see you later, all right? I don't think I'll be able to keep up with you, and kids such as yourselves should enjoy some time to themselves." He waved goodbye, and the Pokedex holders happily joined the stampede to get onto the boat.

Red, Blue, and Green were all in a good mood as they got their keys from the man at the desk and went to their rooms.

Green dragged behind Blue and Red, who both were carrying a large suitcase. Green, on the other hand, was carrying about five huge bags.

"Why did you bring so much stuff?" Red asked, "I mean, I've heard that girls pack lots of girly junk, but this is a bit much…"

Green smiled triumphantly. "It's not _all_ girly stuff," she explained, "Some of it is very important!"

Red and Blue ignored her and continued their discussion about battling techniques.

They got to the hall that included their rooms. "See you later!" they all said, and walked into their rooms.

The rooms were all pretty much the same. There was cream-colored wallpaper, wooden furniture, and sea-blue sheets on the bed. A window, which had a gorgeous view of the ocean, was open and the blue curtains were billowing peacefully in the wind.

Blue smiled to himself and began to unpack.

Red smiled as well, and looked out the window.

Both of them could hear Green's shriek of delight as she flopped down on her soft bed.

All of them, through the open windows, could hear the ships horn going off as it set sail. They met in the hallway and ran up to see the ship depart, waving happily to the people onshore.

* * *

Later that night, they went to dinner. They were all dressed up for the occasion. 

In the dining room, they found a table. Professor Oak wasn't there, and although it was certainly a good thing to Blue, he wondered where his grandfather was.

"He's probably with some of his colleagues," Green whispered, seeing Blue's troubled expression.

They sat down at a table. All of the tables had fine linen tablecloths, with expensive china set out before them.

"Hey! Isn't that the Azalea gym leader, Bugsy? You know where that is, it's in Johto." Blue said, looking curiously at Bugsy. He'd only met him once – briefly – during the gym leader battle-off a year or so ago.

"Doesn't she look familiar? And her dress is so pretty…" Green said, looking at a sophisticated-looking woman with red hair.

"Do you think that's _actually _D.J. Mary?" Red said, looking at the famous radio talk-show host with something bordering on awe.

"Red!" called out a small, high-pitched voice.

Red turned around and waved to Yellow. Last year, she'd been forced to take off her hat, revealing her true identity.

The fourteen-year-old girl was too shy to look Red in the eye. Instead she smiled and stared at her shoes.

Red wondered what was wrong with her. Just last year she'd been able to look him in the eye.

Green leered and looked from Red to Yellow and back again. _He can be so naive sometimes_, she thought,_ just like Yellow._

"Do you want to sit with us?" Green asked kindly. Yellow smiled widely at her and replied, "Oh, no, I'm sitting with my Uncle Wilton. I just wanted to say hi, and that I'll see you later!" She waved and quickly ran off.

"So Yellow's here, too," Red said, grinning.

Green was reflecting on Yellow's quick visit when a concierge burst into the dining room, panting and looking frightened. There was dead silence in the dining room.

"He's been hurt! It's Professor Oak, something's happened to him!" There was a collective gasp. People whispered nervously. Chairs scraped against the floor as people got up from their chairs, making sure that their friends and family were safe.

Blue got up from his chair and darted into action. As annoying as his grandfather was, he was his grandfather. He had worked to save him before, and he would save him again.

Blue felt at his hip for the pokeballs that he normally kept there, but cursed when he realized he'd left them in his room. He walked quickly up to the concierge who had announced this. Red and Green, looking concerned, followed behind him.

"Where is he?" Blue commanded, "Take me to my grandfather!"

The concierge, looking even more scared, took Blue down to the room. "It's room 32," he told Blue.

Red, Blue, and Green gasped in unison. "That's my room," said Blue coldly. The concierge looked surprised, but nevertheless opened the door.

There was a bit of blood on the floor, and a bruise on the Professor's head. But as soon as Blue saw it, he knew that it wasn't something external that might possibly kill his grandfather. It was something internal - poison.

Blue looked at the Arbok bite and it flashed through his mind that it could only be one person who did this…


	3. The Culprit

Chapter Three: The Culprit

Blue stared at his unconcious grandfather. He just stood there, staring. But he was thinking, processing this. It had happened before but this time was completely unexpected. Except for the clues... God, the clues! He could have hit himself - he should have been more alert... the signs were set out for him...

"Blue!" Green shook him by the shoulders, "Blue!"

"What?" he said, still staring into space.

"Blue!" Red exclaimed.

Suddenly, Blue snapped.

"Do you know that my grandfather might die becaue of this?" He said icily, not looking at either of his friends.

"N-no..." Green stuttered, taken aback, "no, that can't be..."

Blue laughed coldly, "And how would you know, Green?"

Green looked upset for a moment, but then a spark of fire came into her eyes. "Blue, you are the most-"

"Guys!" Red exclaimed, "I know we're upset, but this is no way to solve this!" He turned to Blue, "How do you know? How can you be sure that Professor Oak's really..." he forced himself to say the word,"dieing?"

Blue waved a hand toward the Professor. "The bite. It doesn't look like much, but it's from a poisonous pokemon. It was probably a high-leveled, well-trained pokemon - making the poison lethal -you can tell by the way the bloodlooks.In fact,the bite'sfrom an Arbok, if I'm correct. Which I usually am. I just don't know how to correct it... you need something really strong. Only doctors have it... God, we need a doctor!"

All three of them cast their gaze down toward the unconcious professor.

"Who would go around with a pokemon that has lethal poison - and then use it?" Green mused.

"There are a lot of people out for my grandfather," Blue said quietly, still not looking at them. "At first I thought it might have been Agatha - after all, she's the one who'd apparently want to kill him."

Green and Red nodded slowly. "So you think that Agatha's getting some serious revenge this time?" Red asked.

Blue shook his head, "As much as I think they hate each other now, I know that they had, well, some kind of relationship. Even though it was so long ago, I think that would keep her from directly killing my grandfather."

"Well, who else would want to hurt him?" Green prodded.

There was silence. "I only know of one other person with such a strong Arbok," Blue said, "and that would be Koga."

"Well, why would he-?"

"Shut up! Green, stop asking questions. We need to find out if Koga's on the boat!" Green looked a bit offeneded. She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but then closed it again.

"Where's that concierge?" Red said, looking around. "He must have slipped away while we were talking..."

Blue muttered something under his breath, but before he could even finish the concierge reappered in the doorway.

"Sirs - ma'am -" he said nervously, "I was listening to what you said about poison - I got this doctor to come help..." he stepped aside and a doctor stepped into the room.

The doctor was a nervous looking man with thick, round glasses. He looked at the Professor, then bent down on his knees for a closer look.

"It's poison, all right," he murmured, "Arbok poison." He took a vial of something out of his medicine bag. He applied the opaque, yellow liquid with a cotton ball and closed up the wound with some bandages.

"He should be fine - unconcious for a while because of the bump, but I can't do much for that," the doctor murmered, "good thing I got the antidote to him in time. Lucky I had it on me, I always carry average antidote but this called for something stronger..."

The doctor stood there for a moment, and Blue realized he wanted to be paid. He reached into his pocket and gave the doctor some money, and the doctor left. "Glad to be of service. The name's Eric, by the way..."

After putting laying out his surprising heavy grandfather on the bed, Blue noticed something.

"Where's that concierge?" Blue said, "he was just here a moment ago..."

The concierge reappeared once again. "Sirs and madame!" he said, "After hearing the doctor's anaylasis, we have discovered a passanger on board that fits the qualifications for Proffesor Oak's potential murderess. She's a poison master, and she has a high-leveled Arbok," he fidgeted nervously, "follow me, please."

Red, Blue and Green exchanged bewildered looks. Agatha was on the boat?

The concierge cleared his throat.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..." Blue said. He'd calmed down after realizing that Professor Oak was going to live, but he was still wary. Who knew what else would happen? That was a close call... if it hadn't been for the doctor...

"I'm coming, too," said Red determinedly. Red met Blue's eyes and smiled. Blue grinned back. He could always count on Red... what would he do without him?

"I'm coming, too!" Green said,"As annoying as you can be sometimes, Blue," Green stuck her tongue out, "Red's right. We need to stick together!"

So all three of them followed the concierge to the room. With every step, Blue wondered if he would really be meeting Agatha again... and if not, who _was_ after Professor Oak? Or were they after Professor Oak at all? It was in _his _room that the Professor had been bitten...

a/n: Ok, kind of a short chapter. Tell me what you think about any sorts of ships... I'm including the more obvious ones (one-sided Red/Yellow, for example), but I'm not sure about any more. It's not like they're necessary to the plot, but maybe some would be interesting. :) Okay, please**_ REVIEW_** !For more info on this story, check my profile.


	4. The Gym Leader of Fuschia

Chapter Four: The Gym Leader of Fuschia

a/n: Enjoy the chapter! It's kind of short, but it's the best that I could do. Suggestions are appreciated! Reviews are treasured!

The threesome entered the small, dimly lit room. Inside sat a raven-haired girl, who sat motionless on a plain wooden chair.

Blue squinted, but then recognized her. "Janine?" Koga's daughter, the fill-in gym leader of Fuscia City, was sitting before him.

Janine looked up, her small lips curling into an 'O' of surprise. But then she stared at the floor, her lips pursed together tightly. Outwardly, she looked very calm, but somehow Blue could tell that the girl was anxious.

Then it hit him. "Wait. So you're the person who hurt my grandfather?" Honestly, Blue was surprised. He had always suspected that the cold girl would follow in her father's footsteps, but she couldn't be any older than him.

Though he was sympathetic to the girl, he remained cool on the outside. "Are you the one who hurt my grandfather?" he demanded.

Janine looked him in the eye, and Blue was surprised by the hard look.

"_No,_" she stated, emphasizing the single word.

"If you didn't," Blue hissed, "who did?"

Janine's look faltered, and she stared down at the floor again. And then she broke.

"I don't know!" she suddenly sobbed, holding back tears, "I don't know!"

She began to bawl, holding nothing back.

Suddenly, something came to Blue's mind. "What are you doing on this ship?" he looked at her, hoping for a response. "I doubt that you came to party... you don't seem like much of a socialite to me."

"I came to find my father," she sobbed, covering her pale face with her hands.

Green looked at the girl, and suddenly something in her snapped as well.

"Get out," she told Blue and Red. They looked at her quizzically. "C'mon, get out!" she shooed them out of the room.

Green shut the door behind her, and turned to see a puzzled Janine.

"What - What was that for?" Janine asked.

Green shrugged and pulled up a chair. "Had to get them out," she replied nonchalantly. "So, you're looking for your father?"

"Yes," Janine replied in a small voice.

"I was looking for my mother and father, too. I was kidnapped when I was really little. I can sympathize with you."

Janine snorted. "I might has well have been kidnapped, for all the time I spent with my father.He was a gym leader, a ninja master... and now I realize what he was doing with the little free time that he had left..."

"Team Rocket. Yeah, that must have been bad," Green comisserated, "But you know what? I found my parents."

Janine's eyes flashed with sarcasm. "Wonderful. You get your happy ending."

"I think everyone deserves a happy ending."

Janine didn't respond to that, she just sat there.

"So," Green prodded gently, "did you try to murder Professsor Oak?"

Janine slowly shook her head. "No," she insisted, "I don't even have an Arbok. Well, I do have my father's Arbok... but it won't obey me. Other than that, I only brought Ariados with me."

Green was convinced that the girl was telling the truth. She left the room, leaving a solemn Janine by herself.

"I think she's telling the truth, guys," she said to a curious Red and Blue in the hallway.

"How can you tell?" said Blue, furrowing his brow.

"I can just tell," Green dismissed.

"I believe her," Red volunteered, "but if she's right, whose Arbok poisoned Professor Oak?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Green confessed, "I mean, Janine has an Arbok, but it -"

"Wait!" Red said suddenly. "What if it _was_ that Arbok?" Green gave him an odd look.

"I thought we established that Janine didn't do it," Green told him.

"Yeah, but what did she say about the Arbok?"

"I was about to get there," Green pouted, "she said it wouldn't obey her. That it's Koga's."

"What if," said Red, his eyes glinting from his new idea, "Koga is controlling the Arbok from a distance? Like the Elite Four controlled their armies?"

"I don't think so," Blue said, "Koga wouldn't have had the power for that."

"Still," Red reasoned, "It's possible, isn't it?"

"I suppose..." Green said hesitantly.

"Come on," Blue said, "we're not going to figure this out any time soon. Let's go back to our rooms... I'll tell you some suspicions I have about this whole setup..."


	5. Lorelei

Chapter Five: Noises and Redheads

a/n: Well, I'm not crazy about this chapter. I thought I made Yellow a bit of a flat character in this particular chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it anyhoo. :)

"… and you see, I think someone set this up," Blue finished. He had told them all of his suspicions, and now his friends were quiet.

"I don't get it," said Red, "why would someone do that? I would say you're paranoid, but after the Arbok incident I've got to believe you."

"Yeah," Green added, "but the immediate question is: Who planned the Professor's attack? I bet that if we clear that little mystery up, everything will fall into place."

They arrived at their rooms and said goodnight. Blue checked on his grandfather, but Professor Oak was still unconscious.

Red went into his room. He shut his door, hesitated for a moment, and then locked it. He was startled to hear someone jiggling the doorknob of his door. Red opened it, deciding that with his pokemon he had nothing to be afraid of.

He opened the door and smiled. "Yellow!" he said. Then he noticed the girl's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh good, I got the right room. I had to ask around to find out where you're staying… Anyway, yeah, you know how I was there when the concierge busted into the dining room. I was just wondering if Professor Oak was ok. Is he? I mean, I heard something about poison…." She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "and that can't be good…"

"He's fine," Red reassured her quickly, "we got a doctor to him in time. It was close, though. Prof Oak was bitten by a trained Arbok." Yellow let out a small gasp. "I told, you, though, he's ok…"

"That's good," Yellow responded eagerly, "did you find out who did it?"

Red shook his head sadly. "No," he replied, "that's what Green, Blue, and I are trying to figure out."

Yellow nodded again. "Well, I better go, I'm getting pretty tired. You must be exhausted!"

Red chuckled in reply. "You've got that right," he said, "where's your room?"

Yellow made a motion with her hand. "It's just down the hall, room 38. Isn't that funny, we're really close to each other!"

Red felt a chill go down his spine, but decided not to tell her about where Green and Blue were staying. "Goodnight!" he said, trying to muster some cheerfulness. Yellow looked at him doubtfully, seeing through his false tone, but waved goodbye and scurried out of the room.

Red lay down on his bed and turned out the lights. He tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn't calm down…. Who hurt the Professor? Were Blue's suspicions correct? Finally, he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Red woke up earlier than his friends. He knocked on their doors, but all he got was silence from Blue… and some yelling from Green for disturbing her. So he headed down to the dining room alone to eat breakfast. 

Yellow was there, but she looked awful. The normally cheerful girl looked lethargic and tired, with huge dark circles under her eyes.

"'Morning," Red greeted. Yellow mumbled something in reply, and then went back to staring lifelessly at the eggs and bacon on her plate. Red looked at her curiously, and then asked:

"What's wrong? Did you get enough sleep?"

Yellow shook her head sadly. "No, some noises kept me up."

Red's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of noises?"

Yellow shuddered. "I don't really remember," she confessed, "but I know that they frightened me, for some reason."

"Are you sure you don't remember them at all?" Red said anxiously.

She gave him a curious look and then said, "No. Why do you want to know so badly?"

Red sighed. "It's a long story, Yellow. But to make it short, thing have just been… odd. What with Professor Oak being hurt and everything…"

Yellow sympathetically agreed, "I understand."

Green and Blue came in, laughing about something and looking around for him. "Hey!" Red shouted, "What's up?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Blue asked.

Red shrugged. "You were still sleeping. Besides, Green screamed at me."

"Hey! This girl needs her beauty sleep!" Green informed him.

Blue said, "I made her get up. I just knocked on her door till she opened the door… ready to kill me, of course."

Both boys looked at her curiously. "How long do you usually sleep in, Green?" Red asked.

The girl stuck her nose up in the air. "Untiltwelve, normally." They both stared unbelievingly. "Don't look at me like that!" Green said nervously.

"Do you sleep in that long?" Red asked Yellow incredulously. Yellow shook her head ferverently.

But Green wasn't paying attention. "Hey!" she interjected excitedly, "do you remember that pretty redheaded lady I pointed out last night?"

Blue raised an eyebrow. "Not particularly, why?"

"Well, I told you she was familiar! She's over there," Green subtly pointed to the right.

The four turned their heads in the woman's direction. The woman looked at them and smiled, but then a horror-struck look came to her face, and she rushed from the dining room. She had red hair pulled back into a bun, and dark eyes.

"She doesn't look familiar-" but suddenly, Blue realized something.

Red stared, and said, "Is that-"

"It's Lorelei," Green declared, even stunned a bit herself, "but it's like she's traveling in disguise…"

Lorelei met up with our heroes during FR/LG series, and they teamed up to save the islands (Lorelei's hometown) from Team Rocket. She's definitely friendlier with our heroes than during the Yellow arc, where she put Sabrina and Green together with ice.


	6. A Plan

Chapter Six: A Plan

a/n: Wow! Two chapters so soon! I actually had chapter five ready for a few weeks, but didn't post it… man, I'm such a ditz. Sorry to keep you guys waiting! I know this chapter is mostly just filler (no real action) but enjoy! I got some cute dialogue in there, and a recap, too. Next chapter is pretty filler-esque as well, but it has a battle! Read on, and review.

Recap:

Our heroes have been mysteriously invited to a party on the S.S. Anne, but Blue (especially) has his suspicions about the setup. Suddenly and mysteriously, Professor Oak was put into a coma. Using his knowledge of pokemon, Blue deduces that a well-trained Arbok bit Professor Oak. Blue and Green argue, and Red reminds them that they need to stick together.

They are taken to see Janine, who is suspected to have caused the injury. They discover that she is looking for Koga, her father, who disappeared - leaving her alone at the Fuchsia gym. Green sympathizes with the girl, and gets Janine to reveal that she only has her father's Arbok - but it won't obey her. Could Koga be controlling it from a distance…? That night, Yellow visits Red, inquiring about Professor Oak's condition.

The next morning, Professor Oak is still in his coma, and Yellow reveals to Red that she heard frightening, familiar noises in the night. Green recognizes the redheaded woman she saw on the first night… Lorelei. **The Adventure Continues…**

"Let's follow her," Green proposed, in a hushed voice.

Red looked at her incredulously. "Are you sure it's Lorelei?"

Yellow looked at them both very quizzically. "What's wrong? You guys?" her voice got a little higher and more anxious on the last word. They had been talking in such quiet voices that Yellow hadn't heard them.

Green smiled convincingly. "It's nothing. That woman… have you ever heard of, um, uh… Belinda Benjamins?"

Yellow responded with a blank look.

"Oh, you haven't?" Green gushed, "why, she's the biggest superstar ever! She's a huuuugely popular talk show host - almost as big as Mary!- and an equally talented actress and singer. So beautiful, too, could've been a model! She's on the television _all _the time these days…"

She glanced over the Yellow, who stilled seemed to have no idea what Green was talking about.

"I've never heard of her… but I guess we don't get much news like that in Viridian City. It's so such a small, quiet town… It's nothing like Saffron or Cerulean."

Green nodded, as if sympathizing with Yellow. "That's ok. But you know what?" Green grabbed the hands of Blue and Red, making them both blush, "we're going to go find her, ok? You stay here," she looked carefully at Yellow for the first time in the morning, "or go back to your room and take a nap. You look really tired."

Yellow yawned. "You're right," she agreed, trying to be bright through her drowsiness, "have fun meeting Belinda Benjamins!"

"How did you think up 'Belinda Benjamins'?" Red hissed at Green as the three left, going in Lorelei's direction. Green was skipping and still holding onto their hands. Blue was still blushing.

"Easy. I just thought of the perfect superstar, added some alliteration to a glamorous name, and I was set!"

The entered the hall just in time to see Lorelei disappear into her room.

"Darn," Red muttered under his breath.

Green let go of their hands… and she let go of her carefree pretense. She stood in the hallway, right in front of the door, holding her chin in her hand. Her dark blue eyes gazed determinedly at the door, but nothing changed.

"Uh, Green? Can we go now?" asked Red after they'd stood there for quite a while.

"Shhh!" Green said. A second later, a sly grin broke out on her face.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Got what?" asked an exasperated Blue.

"A plan!" Green declared.

"And what is this plan? It better be good…" Blue threatened, breaking off.

"Oh, believe me, it is," and she whispered the plan to them.

"Yeah, right, like I'm going to go along with _that,_" Red said. Green and Blue looked at him pleadingly. "You know I can't act!" Red defended.

Green, however, was a very good actress. She went through the same puppy-dog routine she'd pulled on Bill, years ago.

"Please… for the good of all the nation… you need to!" Red scoffed and turned away. Blue looked at her, unconvinced.

"For God's sake, just do it," said Green, getting up off her knees, "I don't think she'll even come out of her room anymore if you don't. She was nervous to begin with. Someone who's disguised doesn't want to be found. _If we don't do this she won't come out_."

Red sighed, defeated. "Fine. Whatever. Don't blame me when she sees right through me."

Blue sighed as well. "It's amazing how you get people to do what you want. It's kind of revolting, too…"


	7. Battle Commencment

Ok, enjoy! This was originally part of a longer chapter, but I decided to split the chapter. So to find out how the battle resolves... well, you'll just have to wait. And review. :)

Green rooted through her bag, quickly examining each item before she threw it behind her. Blue stood against the wall, skeptically watching Green. Red sat in a chair, looking just a bit nervous about the disguise Green would come up with for him.

"Well," Blue said, "at least now we know what you're using three of your six bags for."

Green ignored him. She was on her third bag of luggage, the third bag so far that was full of clothing. But it wasn't Green's own clothing - it was costumes, for every age and gender.

Green smiled and held something up. "Here we go," she said gleefully, "I found it!"

Blue glanced at it and smirked, but Red just sat there, horrified. The piece that Green was holding up was a stuffy suit that might have looked good on a very old man.

"I have to wear _that?_" Red asked.

"Yup," said Green, eying the piece, "it sort of reminds me of that one pokemon fan club chairman..." she trailed off, then looked up at Red. Red did not look happy.

"That guy was really weird," he said uncomfortably.

"Of course! I'm basing your 'character' off him!"

"What are you talking about?" Blue asked.

"It's like this... Red is going to pretend to be someone totally different! He has to, or Lorelei wil recognize him.

We can gather that the Elite Four was watching him for a long time before they offered him a place in their ranks, so they know Red pretty well.

Plus, we worked closely with Lorelei on the Servii Islands. So Red has to act like the Pokemon fan club chairman! But more egotistical... remember, we have to lure her out with your claims that you're the bst pokemon trainer!"

Red only nodded unhappily.

"Do you have a strategy for your battle all planned out?"

Red brightened up and nodded.

"BAD RED!" Green shouted, "Lorelei will know your battle style better than almost anyone. So to make sure she won't recognize you, you'll be using my and Bleu's pokemon!"

Blue's head suddenly snapped up. "What did you say? You can't -"

Green clamped a hand over his mouth. "I can and I will! You'll challenge Lorelei to a three-on-three, Red... so Blue, cough up two of your pokemon!"

Blue glared at her, but Green just smiled. Finally, he reached to his belt and carefully chose two pokeballs.

Green whipped out a pokeball of her own, and handed the three to Red. "Here you go!"

Red sadly took them.

Green's voice suddenly became serious. "Don't get tempted to use your own, she warned, "the point is to distract Lorelei while Bleu and I search her room... not to win! We don't want her to know that we know who she is..."

Red left to change into his costume. Blue sidled out from against the wall.

"What do you expect to gain from this? I want to know what Lorelei is doing as badly as you do, but why go to these lengths?"

Green did not respond immediately. "I want to know what's going on here. I think that we might be in real danger, and I have a feeling that this will help us to figure things out. You want to know why I brought so many bags?"

Blue didn't say anything. He just looked at her, waiting for her to answer her own question.

"I knew something strange was going on even sooner than you did. You don't think I'd pack for the average vacation by bring disguises?"

"Not unless you were insane," Blue grinned, "which is arguable."

Green never answered him, as Red re-entered the room. "Red," she said teasingly, but with a smile,"don't you look handsome!"

Red blushed and sullenly looked down at the ground. "I look like an old man," he complained.

Green examined him. "You're supposed to," she pointed out. Suddenly, she grabbed a can of something fromt he suitcase and sprayed it on Red.

"What the...?" but before he could finish, the deed was done. Green turned him to the mirror.

"Tah-dah!" she exclaimed. Red gaped at his reflection. Green had used some kind of temporary spray-on dye, and his hair was now completely gray. In the background, Blue was chuckling. Green slapped a bush, gray stick-on mustache on Red's face.

Red looked angrily at the ground. "I can't believe you got me to do this," he moaned.

Green merely smiled brightly. "One more thing..."

Red winced and braced himself for another crazy accessory, but Green only handed him a little earpiece and clipped something onto his shirt's strached white collar.

"A teensy-tiny walkie-talkie," she explained, winking and indicating with her fingers how small it was. "You talk quietly into the one at your collar, and you can listen to me reply through the earpiece."

She held up an average-sized walkie talkie. "Since no one will be watching me, I'll take this normal-sized one and communicate with you as Blue and I go through Lorlei's room! Yours is super-sensitive to sound, so I should catch details of the battle pretty clearly. Of course, tonight you're only setting the stage for tomorrow, but you still might need some help!"

Red groaned. "Let's get htis over with."

* * *

The night was a long one for Red. All through dinner, Red tried to keep his identity secret as he fooled Lorelei's - or Andrea, asthey seemed to know her by-group (Lorelei wasn't there. Just as Green had predicted, she was scared away when they recognized her.) into thinking he was the batty egotistical Mr. Koopalopolis. He wondered why in the world Green chose that name, of all names... 

Green and Blue, meanwhile, sat in a small, shadowy corner table. They both ate dinner, but more often they were bossing Red around. And at one point they were trying to explain to a curious Yellow why Red wasn't there, and what they were doing with the walkie-talkie. It didn't take much effort to convince the gullible Yellow that Red was sick in bed (although it was much harder to convince her that he was too sick to see visitors) and that the walkie-talkie was an attempt at contacting Clef's sister, who lived on the moon. They were actually quite surprised she fell for that one.

* * *

"Ready for round two?" Blue asked Red. 

"Absolutely not," Red said, as Green sprayed the dye onto his hair.

Bleu turned to Green. "You better hope Lorelei is here this morning," he warned, "or Red will probably be ready to kill you for needlessly putting him into this costume."

Green, suprisingly, bit her lip. "I can't be sure," she replied, as she put the cap back onto the spray, "but I only hope Lorelei will show."

Once Red's costume was done, the three furtively sneaked out of her room. Then they parted, going seperate ways.

In the dining room, Red gritted his teeth as he scanned the room. Lorelei was not present.

"She's not here," he said, lips unmoving, into the walkie-talkie.

"She's coming out of her room right now!" Green and Blue, meanwhile, were just around the corner from Lorelei's room, watching her. She seemed angry.

A minute later: "Here she is!" Red quietly explained, as Lorlei entered the room. Suddenly, his usual confidence came back to him as Lorelei looked him in the eye and walked toward him.

"Are you Mr. Koopalopolis?" Lorelei inquired politely. Her face was flushed with irritation.

Red lowered his voice about an octave. "Yes, that's me. Why do you ask?"

Lorelei broke out into a toothy, almost evil, grin. "You claim to be the best pokemon trainer. I must say, this wounds my pride... I am a very strong trainer myself, and even I was defeated. By a mere girl. And later, I traveled with some very strong trainers, the girl included. And I'm sure that any of them, _any one of them, _could pulverize you at any time."

Red almost grinned.

Blue, feeling quite flattered himself, looked at his companion. Green was smiling with memories of her victory. He nudged her, and mouthed the words, "Look around." Green nodded, snapping out of her daydream, and shut the door behind her - locking it so that they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Well," boasted Red, "I don't believe any silly girl could beat me!" Green laughed to herself. Mr. Koopalopolis was almost too much like Red. He acted almost the same way when they'd first met. Thankfully, Green told herself, the Elite Four hadn't been tracking his movements that early on.

Lorleei stared at him coldy, ice queen that she was. "Enough talk. Let's battle."

Red was a bit surprised. "Here? Now? In the dining room?" He barely remembered his 'Mr. Koopalopolis voice'.

Lorlelei nodded slowly and cocked her head to the side. "Yes."

Red nodded back, a light coming into his eyes. "Fine. Do your worst! Three-on-three!"

Lorelei merely nodded again.

The battle had begun.

a/n: So, what do you think? There'll be some shipping (just a teensy-tiny hint of it!) and the battle, of course. :)


	8. A Letter

Lorelei merely nodded again.

The battle had begun.

* * *

Red picked up one of the three pokeballs Green had given him. He groaned. He had no idea which pokemon it was... 

Green's voice sounded shrilly in his ear. "You're hesitating. The point is to distract her, not come up with a fantastic strategy: just send it out!"

He did. Out popped Wigglytuff.

"Wait a minute," Red whispered into the walkie-talkie, "how do I know your pokemon will listen to me?"

"I don't know for absolute sure," Green admitted, "but Jiggly was my first pokemon. It should trust my judgement in our friendship completely, and therefore trust you."

Red's thoughts were interrupted as Lorelei sent out her first pokemon. Suddenly, there was nothing but the battle.

"Go! Persian!" Lorelei called out. Red was caught off guard. _Persian? I thought Lorelei only used ice types... never mind that! What are Wigglytuff's attacks?_He was tempted to use his pokedex, but that would give him away for sure.

Red coul hear Blue's voice (slightly muffled, as he wasn't speaking right into the walkie talkie, but from some other part of Lorelei's room) "A Persian? She's trying to protect her disguise, because she's so renowned for ice tyepes. Even though ice is her forte, she's strong. Watch yourself."

A crowd had gathered around them, excited and pleased by the sudden battle. However, they were a bit confused by this distinguised old man's first choice. A pink, girlish pokemon? Red could swear that Green did this sort of thing to humiliate him...

"Um, doubleslap!" Red called to the waiting Wigglytuff. Automatically, the ballon-like pokemon began to hit the Persian with surprising speed.

"Finish it off! Mega punch!" Wigglytuff wound up and delivered a punch, knocking the Persian out. Red did notice some scratches on Green's pokmon, but Wigglytuff seemed to be doing just fine.

Red was impressed. "Jiggly's really strong."

"I told you - it was my first pokemon."

Lorelei seemed peeved. She muttered something under her breath, recalled Persian, and sent out a Cloyster.

"She's blowing her cover," Blue commented tensely, "Green, you were really on the mark when you said she was proud..."

_Okay, _thought Red, _it worked once..._

"Wigglytuff! Doubleslap!"

"Withdraw!"

Jiggly tried its best, but it was unable to hurt Cloyster. Lorelei laughed.

"You can't use the same tactic this time! Whicle Cloyster is withdrawn you can't hurt it. And when it's open..." Cloyster slowly opened, "You'll be too busy taking its attacks!"

The room temperature lowered and the Wigglytuff was assaulted with sleet. Red looked at Green's pokemon sympathetically. It looked like it was freezing.

"Don't just stand there!" Green said nervously, "attack while it's open!"

Cloyster seemed to be closing. "Sing!" Red shouted. Cloyster seemed tos truggle for a moment, but then fell asleep mid-close.

"Is it asleep?" Green asked anxoiously.

"Yeah," Red replied, slightly relieved, "it worked."

Green sighed, contented.

"Green! Come here! I think I found something," Blue called. Red tuned out their conversation and focused on his battle, though he could hear the two.

"What is it?" Back in Lorelei's room, Green closed the drawer she was searching and walked over to Blue.

"A letter," Blue said solemnly, a hint of fear in his voice.

Green looked at it. She read little snippets... _Elite Four... re-plan... this time, we'll finsih it... Sincerely, Lance._On the last word, Green felt a chill go through her bones.

"Lance? Lance wants to regroup the Elite Four?" her voice, unlike Blue's, expressed nothing but fear.

"It seems like it..." Blue said, glancing up and, for once, seeing Green looking trulysmall and upset. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away.

Suddenly, her voice took on its commanding tone again. "Take taht with us. I don't know if Lorelei will miss it or not, but I need to read it all the way through, and have Red see it too..."

Blue gave a little smile. "Okay," he answered.

Back in the dining room...

"Batter it with pound!" Red commanded. Jiggly did as it was told, when suddenly Cloyster's eyes opened wide. It seemed unaffected by the Wigglytuff's attacks.

"What the...?"

Lorelei smirked. "Cloyster was asleep, yes, but your sing really had no effect. Cloyster was using rest."

Red was stunned. Then he smiled. The fight was really heating up...

"Mega punch!"

"Clamp!" Cloyster clamped down hard on the Wigglytuff's arm. Jiggly fainted. _I was too hasty, _Red realized, ashamed, as Wigglytuff fell to the ground.

"Jiggly...!" Red heard Green wail softly. He felt a pang of sadness. He could relate to someone who's most trusted pokemon had fallen... Poor Green...

"Return! Now, go!"

He chose another of the three pokemon. This time, it was Blue's Scizor.

"Blue, what where you thinking?" Red muttered, "it's part bug-type! It'll freeze!"

"Only if Lorelei's attacks can catch up. Scizor is trained for speed," Blue said coolly. Honestly, he didn't think Lorelei would lose her head and blow her cover with her ice types... well, sometimes you bet wrong...

Red grunted. "Take down!" he shouted.

Scizor dashed at Cloyster, running in a blur.

"Ice beam!" Lorelei shouted. The ice beam could not hit its fast-moving target.. but suddenly...

Scizor was frozen in place, just about ready to attack Cloyster. It's gleaming scythe-claw was inches away from Cloyster's vulnerable body.

Lorelei smirked. "Well, I got lucky, didn't I? But you should know better. Bug types are extremely vulnerable to ice types like Cloyster."

There was a regretful silence on Blue's end.

Red clenched his jaw. Without thinking he threw out a pokeball.

"Thunderbolt!" he shouted. Pika, who was already charged inside its ball, automatically shocked Cloyster, who was caught off guard and unable to close in time.

"You idiot!" Blue cried

Lorelei looked upset, but then sent out her last pokemon.

"Dewgong!" she cried, "Blizzard!

The whole room became cold, adn the floor was slicka nd icy. The bystanders began tot fidget and look uncomfortable.

Pika stumbled clumsily on the ice.

_I have to trust that Pika will get a grip on things..._ Red reassured himself. Really, he had no doubt in his mind that Pika would win.

"Pika!" Red shouted, "Thunderbolt!" Pika tried, but couldn't maneuver, much less attack, on the ice.

"You're using it's nickname?" Green hissed.

"Come on, Green, Pika must be a pretty popular nickname. And besides, Pika responds better-"

"I told you, its' not about winning, it's about distracting her! And not giving anything away..."

Green looked down at the walkie-talkie in her hands as though she wanted to smash it.

"It's any god trainer's instinct to win at all costs," Blue told her, "you saw how Lorelei tookt a chance of losing her disguise just to user her better pokemon."

Green understood, but she wasn't any less upset.

"Pika..." Red muttered under his breath, hoping with all his might that pika would win.

"Dewgong! Body slam!" Lorelei shouted confidently.

Dewgong slid gracefully over to Pika at full speed, when suddenly Pika skidded away. Dewgong, unable to stop, knocked into the wall.

_Good!_ Red thought happily. Pika had been able to move all along... it was just playing possum for Dewgong.

"Now that it's dazed! Thunder!"

A boom louder than any filled the room and everyone was temporarily blinded by the light that accompanied it. When Red regained his sight, he saw Pika standing near a fainted Dewgong.

Blue could see Green's face light up with pride, obviously forgetting about Red's little mishap. "Red stole my TM... wow. I didn't know he had it in him..."

"Let me guess," Blue said sarcastically, although he, too, was smiling andproud of his friend, "one of your bags is full of TMs."

"Dewgong!" Lorelei cried, on the verge of tears.

Red felt bad that she was taking it so hard.

Lorlei returned Dewgong and attempted to strutted out of the room, trying her best to maintain her dignity.

Green and Blue simultaneously froze. "Uh-oh."

Within seconds, there was a jiggling sound at the door.

"I-it's locked? I d-didn't lock it," Lorelei, puzzled,stuttered through her tears.

Green switched off her walkie-talkie. The room looked as though it had been ransacked (they hadn't been prepared for Lorelei to return so soon), but if Lorelei called the police,Greenquickly deduced,fingerprints wouldn't be found. She always wore gloves, and as a precaution she'd forced Blue to do the same.

If only they could find a way out...

"Here," Blue hissed, roughly pushing her to the window. "Wait.. stand back..."

He released Pidgeot. "Peck," he commanded. He could hear Lorelei fumbling through her purse, then-

There was a loud crash of breaking glass. Luckily, the window was a large one and Pidgeot wiggled through with ease.

Blue pushed Green through, then jumped on himself.

They landed on Pidgeot's large back and flew upwards, out of sight, just as Lorelei entered her room.

The could hear her frightened shriek. And her moans.

"Oh my God, _oh my God_..."

Blue noted that she seemed to almostbe expecting this sort of thing, but truly dreading it.

"I feel sorry to scare her so badly," Green commented softly. They flew up to the deck, waited until no one was passing by, then jumped off Pidgeot. Blue quickly recalled his pokemon.

They stood there for a moment, hearts beating quickly. That was a close one...

"Don't you think... breaking a window like that...?" Green trailed off, still to petrified to put her thoughtsinto words.

Blue laughed wryly. "This from a former - or should I say current - thief? Worrying about breaking a window."

Green shook her head. "I'm no thief."

"Then what do you call taking my wallet?"

"Flirting, I guess," Green replied nonchalantly.

"Really? Oh. That's um. Weird." He seemed surprised.

"Do you have the letter?" Green asked.

"It's right here," Blue said, holding up the paper.

"Let's go meet up with Red," Green suggested.

"And tell Yellow that he's _finally_ gotten over his stomach bug," Blue joked.

a/n: There was your battle:) How did you like it? Please review. :) Oh, and I stuck the flirting in there. But that doesn't really mean too much. Because honestly, Green seems to flirt with everyone. Including Yellow's uncle. Creepy.


	9. Dear Lorelai

The S.S. Anne Adventure

author's note: Eeeks! I haven't updated in so long, I'm sorry. :( Enjoy the chappie! There's more to come.

Red, no longer smiling from his victory, quickly made his way back to Green's cabin – their meeting point.

Red was worried. There was no denying it. He mentally cursed himself for having ruined the plan; almost hurting his friends. _You just had to be the winner, didn't you, Red? _He thought to himself. He reached for the doorknob.

As soon as he entered. Green and Blue noticed relief flood his features. Relief that they were safe; that his screw up hadn't cost them anything… for example, their lives…

Red wasn't stupid, though. And he knew his friends better than anyone. The solemn, worried expression they were trying to suppress could not be hidden.

"I'm sorry about botching up the plan, you guys...he said apologetically, even though he sensed that it was something much more important than this that had unsettled them so greatly.

They only looked at him solemnly. "You are a moron," Green said, her voice not succeeding in its attempt to be light and teasing, "but we've got bigger problems."

Blue handed him a letter. Red read it, his face paling more with each word.

_Dear Lorelai, _

_You remember our last parting, do you not? The date we agreed on is in approximately two weeks from now. I expect that you will meet me. We must accomplish our grand vision…_

_Just to keep you informed: Agatha, the old bat, has hidden – retreating into her shadows that she loves so much. I doubt we will be able to find the traitor, but if she chooses to reveal herself to us was again, I should greatly appreciate her help. She was, as you know, essential to our pokemon armies. _

_Without Agatha, Bruno has gone off and joined some team of other trainers – all very decent, I hear, which even includes the Rocket that helped Oak's grandson defeat Agatha. However, their movements are hard to follow and besides of which, I unfortunately doubt that Bruno will join us... As with the pokemon armies, we need Agatha's abilities to control him._

_I hope to see you in two weeks' time, Lorelai. I need you to prove that you, at the very least, are still faithful._

_Sincerely,_

_Lance_

Red felt like his head was spinning. He sat down. It made perfect sense now, why Green and Blue should be so worried. This was indeed cause for concern. It seemed as though Lance was preparing his next strike on Kanto – on the entire world!

"Now you see why we're so upset," Blue replied with a half-hearted smirk.

They were silent for a moment. Then…

"They won't find Agatha," Blue spat, "she's too slick. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't. We don't have to worry about trouble from her."

"And they seem to need Agatha, or else Bruno won't comply. Lance made that completely clear," Red noted quietly, still distressed from the letter.

"So they won't be half as powerful as they were last time," Green said, with a shaky giggle, "and now we know what they're up to. They have no idea that we know. It gives us the advantage!"

They were silent again. Doubts nagged at their minds.

_Unless… yeah, but… not quite yet, but… maybe…_

Suddenly, they were snapped out of their reveries by a knock on the door.

"Quick!" Green hissed at Red (who was still in his suit and gray hair dye, although he'd taken off his 'dorkier' accessories) "go into my bathroom. Change into these-" she thrust his everyday clothing at him "- and change! Remember, you're sick with a stomach virus! Don't come out until you've changed and haven't a bit of your disguise on you!"

As Green gave her orders to Red, Blue shoved the fake moustache, hat, and sunglasses under Green's bed.

As soon as Red shut the bathroom door, Green tensely opened the door to her room. Automatically, her expression became sweet and relaxed.

Only someone who knew her as well as Blue could recognize it as an act. It wasn't that Green had to act to be nice to Yellow, it was just that Green's real feelings were nothing but tense (because of the letter, and the blonde's sudden entrance) and she didn't want to let Yellow know that.

"Oh, hi, Yellow," she greeted calmly, "Good to see you here. Why are you dropping by?"

Yellow seemed a bit uneasy, apparently because of her motivation for coming here. She fidgeted from foot to foot then answered:

"I need to speak with Red, please… right away… I checked his cabin, but he wasn't there…" she trailed off hopelessly, the poor girl obviously nervous.

Green frowned, and Blue noticed one-hundred percent genuine concern in her eyes. "What's wrong? I'm afraid you probably can't talk right now, he's-"

Red, with perfect timing, retched as though he were about to vomit.

Suddenly, Yellow was concerned as well. "Is he alright?" she blurted, " I thought he'd be better by now; are you sure it's _only _a stomach bug? He could-"

Green cut in. "Yellow, what were you going to say? It sounded pretty important.."

"Um, it's okay. Could you please…tell Red that I came by? I really need to speak with him. It's important!"

"Okay, I'll give him your message," Green said soothingly. More retching noises.

Yellow bit her lip, then managed a smile. "Well, I'd better be going then. Remember to give him my message!"

The door shut, and there was quiet. _That was quick. She must have been in a hurry, _Green thought.

"Why don't you just tell her about the whole Lorelai scenario?" he asked, his eyes piercing into Green.

Green didn't look at him. She looked in the direction Yellow had left by, and replied:

"I can't tell you," she said calmly, her voice wavering only slightly.

Then, testily: "Why not?"

She turned around. "Because," she said with the faintest hint of a smile, "the first way to fool your enemies is to fool your friends."

"That's stupid," Blue mumbled as Red came out of the bathroom. His hair was damp, and he was wearing his normal clothing.

"Hi," he said, trying to be cheerful (the letter was still on everyone's mind) "it took forever for that dye to come out." He still had traces of the gray in his dark hair. "Was that Yellow?"

"Yeah, she wanted you to go see her sometime soon. She said it was really important," Green told him.

Red thought for a moment. "I guess I'd better go see her then…"

But when he got out of the room, Red could only feel a pouding in his head.

Fresh air. That's what he needed.

So he passed Yellow's door and instead headed to the deck.


	10. Familiar Faces Unexpected Places

a/n: I know it's been an eternity since I updated, and I'm sorry. (cries) Everyone, pretty please review! I put a lot of work into thinking out this story, and then writing it down, so the least you could do is review. Anyway, I must thank everyone so far… people review multiple times and the reviews are so LONG! I love that… long reviews that tell you exactly what the reader likes and dislikes are definitely more rewarding.

* * *

Red found himself on the deck, but he quickly noticed that he wasn't where he had meant to be. By the looks of it – the sailors lounging around, some of them loading various things onto the ship - he was not on the passenger's deck. 

Red sighed, realizing that he'd strayed from his original course. Plainly, he was lost.

Suddenly, he caught sight of someone who was very, very out of place.

"_You!_" he shouted, pointing a finger at a familiar man wearing a sailor outfit, "_Lt. Surge-?!?"_

He was puzzled. Some of the soldiers laughed, chuckled, nudged each other in the ribs. But what was most strange was that Surge – the most brash, loud person Red had ever known (perhaps besides himself) – was looking sheepishly down at his boots.

Red decided to find out what was going on, but perhaps he needed to be more discreet than shouting "_You!"._

"Lt. Surge," he said quietly, as he approached the former gym leader. The man seemed to have changed his ways – at least a little bit – the last time Red had met with him. But he could still be very dangerous.

"What do you want?" he grunted in reply, reclaiming a bit of his old gruffness.

"What are you doing here?" Red asked him, looking at his surroundings.

The man grunted. "Wouldn't you love to know?" he said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "I'm here because they kicked me out of my gym!"

"They… they _what? Who?_" in a way, this wasn't a surprise – it seemed to Red that Surge rarely even set foot in the gym. But at the same time, Red had never anticipated this twist.

"The Pokemon League Association – PLA - found out about my activity in Team Rocket, and they took away my position," he grunted reluctantly.

"Oh," was all that Red could manage. He didn't know what to say. Yes, perhaps Surge deserved it, but it still seemed… odd.

"Surge," one of the shipmates called, "that kid recognize you from your leader days?" There was chorus of sneers.

"Leave," Lt. Surge ordered firmly, turning his back to Red after one last glare.

Red, still dazed, made his way off the deck. So much for fresh air…

* * *

He knocked on Yellow's door a couple times. "Yellow?" he said. 

No answer. She must have left. Red sighed. It was no use… playing tag like this wasn't going to amount to anything. It seemed like Yellow really needed to tell him something, too...

* * *

By this time, the sun was already beginning to set, and he was famished. He hadn't eaten anything since a very small breakfast. 

He walked into the dining hall, noticing that Blue and Green were already seated… with a few other faces that Red recognized.

Green said something, and they all looked up and smiled at him.

"Misty? Erika? Brock? Funny seeing you here…" though he was surprised, the comment came out more exhausted than anything. It _was _funny… he had just met another (former, in Surge's case) gym leader in a completely different circumstance.

"Misty is a close friend of the captain," Green explained eagerly, "so when she and the others decided they needed a vacation, they managed to snag the tickets of people who'd canceled their trip at last-minute. And for free!" She winked. "So, Misty, any chance you can hook me up with a free ticket next time?"

Misty looked a bit uncomfortable, knowing that Green was only half joking.

Erika cleared her throat and turned to Blue. "I hear you're grandfather came with you… is he well? I need to speak with him about a new theory I have about Oddishes sleeping patterns… quite remarkable, really…" she stopped short when she saw the look on Blue's face.

"So, I'm assuming he's… not … well?" she asked tentatively.

"He was bitten by an Arbok," Green chimed in, as it seemed that Blue was in no mood to answer. "It was very mysterious."

"They though Janine might have been behind it, but that theory was nixed," Red grunted, sliding into a seat. "Anyway… it's complicated."

The three gymleaders looked concerned.

"If there's anything I can do, tell me. I'll help anyway I can," Brock said stoically.

"Thanks," Blue said in a low tone, getting up from his seat and leaving the table.

Red and Green stayed sitting. Green's cheerful mood seemed to be extinguished.

"I'll go get them," she said weakly, getting up and quickly walking after him.

But first she bent down and whispered, "Tell them. Everything."

Red sighed and turned to the rest of the group.

"So... anyone hear about a guy named Mr. Koopalopolis? Yeah, I guess that's a good place to start..."


End file.
